NorthX Climate Tech announced more than $2.2 million worth of follow-on investments in a trio of British Columbia (BC) wildfire technology startups on Thursday.
The recipients include Crwn.ai, Nova, and Skyward Wildfire Technologies. All three are building and deploying field-tested tech designed to detect, prevent, and manage wildfires.
As Canadaâs wildfire seasons grow longer, larger, and more destructive, NorthX president and CEO Sarah Goodman said in a release that âwildfire risk is no longer seasonal, itâs structural.â
“Wildfire risk is no longer seasonal, itâs structural.”
Sarah Goodman
NorthX Climate Tech
Goodman said this group of startups is already validating their tech and delivering results in the field with utilities and frontline teams.
âThis is exactly where we double downâbacking proven solutions and scaling them quickly so communities have the tools to prevent fires from becoming disasters,â Goodman added.
Kelownaâs Crwn.ai has developed tech designed to improve wildfire prediction and prevention on transmission lines. The startup, which leverages sensors and AI to monitor remote lines without the need for an operator, is receiving nearly $981,000 from NorthX to help deploy up to 500 of its monitoring devices across BC utility transmission corridors.
Victoria-based Nova offers drone mapping software that could help commanders and crews detect and monitor wildfire activity, and make faster, safer decisions on how to respond. The company is receiving $600,000 from NorthX to expand from drone-only integration to a multi-platform system that unifies data from helicopters, aircraft, satellites, and sensors.
Vancouverâs Skyward Wildfire aims to prevent wildfire ignition caused by lightning using a combination of proprietary AI weather modelling and aerial intervention. The startup is working to predict high-risk storms likely to spark fires and then neutralize the electrical potential in clouds. It is receiving $643,000 to deploy its lightning prevention system.
Formerly the BC Centre for Innovation and Clean Energy, NorthX provides repayable or non-repayable, non-dilutive funding designed to help companies commercialize hardware-based climate technologies. The not-for-profit was founded in 2021 with an initial investment from the BC Government, the Government of Canada, and Shell Canada.
To date, NorthX has invested nearly $52.1 million across 82 projects. It claims this funding has helped create more than 829 jobs and catalyzed $621 million in follow-on investment.
Feature image courtesy Marcus Kauffman via Unsplash.